Clip these tips to reduce falls and eliminate fear
Strategy reduces risk, concerns
Falls cause serious injuries, health problems, and fatalities in elderly people, and the fear of falling can lead to social isolation and physical deconditioning as people try to avoid physical exertion that might cause a fall.
Rehabilitation providers and other health care professionals can help their patients reduce the risk of falling and eliminate their fears through interventions and special programs, says Elizabeth Walker Peterson, MPH, OTR/L, clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
One strategy would be to give patients these handy guidelines Peterson has created, which are designed to help people reduce the risk of falls and conquer their fear of falling.
How to Reduce the Risk of Falls
• Take charge: Talk to your health care providers to identify your risk factors for falls.
• Get involved: Take an active role in creating fall prevention strategies that fit your needs, lifestyle, and goals. If, for instance, you still are storing food and other items on high shelves, you may want to consider asking someone to help you bring everything down so you aren’t reaching up for things, even infrequently.
• Remember: Unless you are satisfied with a plan to reduce the risk of falling, it is unlikely that you will follow through with it.
• Prioritize: Falls often are caused by many factors and may require a variety of prevention efforts, such as reducing the number of prescription medications, changing positions slowly to avoid a drop in blood pressure, and installing grab-bars by the toilet. Once you’ve learned what your fall risk factors are, decide which ones you want to address first. Consider which change is the easiest to make and which will have the greatest positive impact on your health. Success in eliminating one risk factor will motivate you to continue your efforts.
• Exercise: Exercises that improve balance, such as Tai Chi, have been shown to reduce fall risk. Talk with your doctor and explore community resources to find an exercise program that will work for you. You can gain the support you need to stick with an exercise program by exercising with a friend.
• Be assertive: Make requests — for a seat on a crowded bus, for example, or to have a dangerous throw rug removed. Everyone needs advice and assistance from time to time. Such requests are a way to help you avoid a fall and maintain independence.
• Have a contingency plan: Know what you will do should you fall when you are alone. Find out from your health care provider about the best way to get up after a fall, and have a plan for reaching help. Also, ask someone to routinely check on you to ensure your safety.
How to Reduce Concerns about Falls
• Acknowledge your concerns: Your concerns about falling are a rational response to a real threat to your independence, and many older adults share this concern. Being aware of your concerns about falls and how they affect your physical or emotional health is the first step in managing the fear of falling.
• Explore your attitudes: Negative attitudes about aging and fall prevention, such as "exercise is dangerous at my age," block your desire and ability to take positive steps to prevent falls. Positive thoughts, on the other hand, inspire action.
• Practice, practice, practice: To gain confidence in your abilities to reduce fall risks, you will need to prove to yourself that you have the necessary skills. These skills vary depending on your unique fall risk factors. Common skills used to prevent falls include exercising regularly, communicating assertively, and finding alternatives to potentially risky behaviors.
• Be a problem solver: Set goals and create action plans. Identify potential barriers to accomplishing goals and address those threats to your success. Remember that needs change over time, so re-evaluate your fall risk factors, goals, and action plans regularly.
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